Detent



C. l. PHELPS April 9, 1946.

DE TENT Filed Oct. 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l f 4 i f.

4 E om m WW lim April 9, 1946. c. l. PHELPS DETENT Filed Oct. 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Inventor m d m j Z mfi w my @065- WW M1516) Patented Apr. 9, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETENT Clarence I. Phelps, Bellingham, Wash, assignor of one-half to William. D. Payne, Bellingham, Wasln, and one-half to Abraham C. Pelland, Mount Vernon, Wash.

Application October- 19, 1944, Serial-1N0. 559,39

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in detents for operating and control levers, and particularly the type of detent disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,296,694, dated September 22, 1942.

The invention is designed with the primary object in view of providing a brake lever for trucks and the like equipped with a positive locking detent of simplified construction and arrangement of parts, as compared with the detent of said patent, and With the major operating parts on the lever built into the same for protection, economy in space, and compactness of assembly.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the number of parts and otherwise lower the cost of manufacture without sacrificing operating elliciency.

To the accomplishment of the above, and sub ordinate objects presently appearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, set forth in detail in the succeeding description, and defined in the claims appended hereto.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating my invention in the preferred embodiment thereof,

Figure 2 is a similar view, partly broken away and shown in section,

Figure 3 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale,

Figure 4 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 and drawn to a further enlarged scale,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in edge elevation of the short lever arm of the brake lever, and

Figure 6 is a View in perspective of the lock bolt.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, according to my invention, a brake lever I is pivoted adjacent the lower end thereof by a bolt 2, in upstanding position on what constitutes the up per corner 3 of a triangular supporting plate 4, and whereby said lever is provided with a long lever arm 5 and a short lever arm 6, the latter below the bolt 2 and swingable alongside the supporting plate 4. The lower end of the short lever arm 6 is provided with a coplanar bifurcation I therein, an edge notch 8 above the bifurcation I and is longitudinally bored above the bifurcation I to provide a cylindrical socket 9 in the arm 6.

A small gear pinion I0 is rotatably mounted in the bifurcation I by means of a stud H extending through said short lever arm 6, said pinion Ill meshing with a toothed, concave detent plate I 2 secured by bolts I3 to the lower corners of the supporting plate 4 beneath said pinion Ill.

A cylindrical lock bolt I4 is slidably mounted in the socket 9 for vertical movement therein and provided at its lower end with a single tooth I5 adapted to mesh with teeth of said pinion ID. A coil spring IS in the socket 9 backs the lockbolt I4 and urges the tooth I5 into meshing relation with the teeth of the pinion III.

For disengaging the tooth I5 from the teeth of the pinion II], the usual detent release hand grip I6 is utilized together with the usual detent release rod I7, the hand grip I6 being pivoted on the long lever arm 5,as at [8, and backed by the usual spring I9, the detent rod I! being pivoted to said hand grip, at one end, as at 20. In the present instance, the lower end of the detent release rod I! is bent at a right angle and inserted through the notch 8 into a suitable transverse bore 2| in the lock bolt I4, said right angled end 22 of the detent release rod I I fitting in said notch 8 to be guided thereby.

The brake operating rod 23 is provided with a forked end member 24 straddling the detent plate I2 and the lower end of the short lever arm 6, said member being pivotally connected to said arm by the aforementioned stud l I.

As will be readily understood, the brake lever I is normally locked by the described detent de vices, since the spring I5 urges the tooth I5 of the lock bolt I4 into engagement with the gear pinion I0 on one side thereof, and said pinion meshes with the teeth of the detent plate I2 on the other side thereof. To unlock the described detent devices, and the lever I, it is merely necessary to retract the lock bolt M in the socket 9 by operation of the hand grip l6 and detent release rod II, so that the toothed pinion IIJ may roll along the teeth of the detent plate l2.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suffice to impart a clear understanding of my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a support, a lever pivoted intermediate the ends thereof on the support to provide a lever arm swingable alongside the support, said arm having a bifurcated end, a detent plate fixed to said support and having a concave toothed edge straddled by said bifurcated end of the arm, a toothed pinion rotatably mounted in said bifurcated end of the arm to roll along the teeth of said edge in mesh therewith and permit said arm to be swung, means to lock said pinion against rotation incorporated in said arm and enclosed thereby and including a retractible lock bolt, and means to retract said bolt comprising a swingable hand grip on said lever, and a rod operatively connecting said grip to said bolt.

2. In combination, a support, a lever pivoted intermediate the ends thereof on the support to Y provide a lever arm swingable alongside the support, said arm having a bifurcated end, a detent said bifurcated end of the arm to roll along the teethof said edge in mesh therewith and permit said arm to be swung, means to lock said pinion against rotation incorporated in said arm and enclosed thereby and including a retractible lock,

bolt, and means to retract said bolt comprising intermediate the ends thereof on the support to provide a lever arm swingable alongside the support, said arm having abifurcated end, a detent plate fixed to said support and having a concave toothed edge straddled by said bifurcated end of 1 the arm, a toothed pinion rotatably mounted in said bifurcated end of the arm to roll along the teeth of said edge to mesh therewith and permit said arm to be swung, means to lock said pinion against rotation incorporated in said arm and enclosed thereby and including 'a retractible lock bolt, mean to retract said bolt comprising a swingable hand grip on said lever, a rod operatively connecting said grip to said bolt, said lock bolt having a single end tooth for engaging the teeth of said pinion. V

CLARENCE I. PHELPS. r 

